On Sunday evening, Scott Pelley, cohost of the CBS News program “60 Minutes,” gave a rare rebuke to the network’s parent company, Paramount, over moves that prompted the resignation of the show’s former executive producer, Bill Owens.
Ahead of a desired merger with Skydance Media, which is owned by billionaire David Ellison, Paramount has sought to limit the journalistic independence of “60 Minutes,” viewing its coverage as too critical of President Donald Trump. Any merger deal that Paramount makes with Skydance will have to be approved by the Trump administration.
Paramount’s moves to encroach upon the independence of “60 Minutes” ultimately led Owens to decide he could no longer work at the program. In a memo to staff last week, he wrote:
Over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for ‘60 Minutes,’ right for the audience…. Having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward.
Staff were reportedly saddened over Owens’s departure and the reason behind it. In the final minutes of “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Pelley paid tribute to Owens.
Calling Owens’s work a “quest to open minds, not close them,” Pelley highlighted how the former producer worked for the network for nearly four decades, spending a quarter of a century at “60 Minutes.” Pelley recognized that the program covered “controversial” stories, such as issues relating to the Trump administration and “the Israel-Gaza war,” which the network has sought to limit reporting on — particularly segments that are critical of Israel’s genocidal military campaign against Palestinians.
Pelley defended past reports on those subjects, noting that Owens “made sure they were accurate and fair,” adding that “he was tough that way.”
Without directly rebuking Paramount, Pelley made it clear that the parent company was using its corporate influence to threaten the program’s journalistic integrity.
“Our parent company is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways” as a result, Pelley explained to viewers. “None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
Pelley added:
No one here is happy about it, but in resigning, Bill proved one thing: He was the right person to lead “60 Minutes” all along.
As CBS News and other corporate news media have taken steps to limit their reporting on the Trump administration, independent media has become more important than ever in combating attacks on democracy and the rise of fascism, Truthout’s board president and editor-at-large Maya Schenwar, editor-in-chief Negin Owliaei, and executive director Ziggy West Jeffery wrote in an op-ed earlier this year.
“As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations — either through need or greed — rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes even before his inauguration, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models,” the trio said.
Help Truthout resist the new McCarthyism
The Trump administration is cracking down on political dissent. Under pressure from an array of McCarthy-style tactics, academics, activists and nonprofits face significant threats for speaking out or organizing in resistance.
Truthout is appealing for your support to weather this storm of censorship. We’ve launched a fundraising campaign to find 232 new monthly donors in the next 24 hours. Will you be one?
As independent media with no corporate backing or billionaire ownership, Truthout is uniquely able to push back against the right-wing narrative and expose the shocking extent of political repression under the new McCarthyism. We’re committed to doing this work, but we’re also deeply vulnerable to Trump’s attacks.
Your support during our fundraiser (24 hours left!) will help us continue our nonprofit movement journalism in the face of right-wing authoritarianism. Please make a tax-deductible donation today.